Infant&#39;s folding dressing table



April 19, 1949. c. T. DE PU Y ET AL 2,467,467

INFANTS FOLDING DRESSING TABLE Eiled April 22, 1946 a Sheets-Sheet 1 Char/e5 7TDePuy 7/l'am C. Baxzer I TORs ATTORNEY c. T. DE PUY ET AL INFANTS FOLDING DRESSING TABLE April 19, 1949.

5 Shecs-Sheet 2 Filed April 22, 1945 Char/es TDe/ UQ M' ///am 61 Bax INVENTORS A TTORNEY April 19, 1949. 1' PUY ET AL 2,467,467

INFANTS FOLDING DRESSING TABLE 7 Filed April 22, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Char/es 7T 06%) W/W/am C. Eaxzer INVENTORS ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 19, 1949 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE INFANTS FOLDING DRESSING TABLE Application April 22, 1946, Serial N0. 664,129

6 Claims.

This invention relates to an infants folding bath stand and dressing table of the general type including a collapsible cross-legged stand with front and rear leg-frames supporting a flexible tub therebetween and a dressing table pivotally mounted on the rear leg-frame and adapted to be supported horizontally on the top rails of the leg-frames or positioned vertically at the rear of the stand when the tub-is in use or to be swung downwardly in front of the forward leg-frame when the latter is folded, and acting to hold the leg-frames in collapsed relation, and it has for its purpose .to afford improved means for pivotally mounting the. dressing table on the rear legframe and for controlling the movements of the table,

More particularly, the invention has for its purpose to provide a more eflicient and practical structure for pivotally supporting and operating the dressing table from vertical to horizontal position, enabling easier movement of the table during its lowering .action.

Another purpose of the invention is to afford a structure for pivotally supporting a dressing table in such a way that it is more nearly balanced in its upright position and .is positively held in both horizontal and vertical positions by spring means which is effective to hold a metal or light weight table in lowered position and assists its action to upright position after initial movement away from horizontal operative position resting on the leg-frames.

A-further object of the invention is to provide simple and efficient means of practical and economical construction for pivotally supporting, a dressing table and for retaining one end of a table actuating spring while also serving to connect the table with. an operating device that moves the table from upright to horizontal position.

Still another purpose of the invention is to afford a structure that is particularly adapted for use in connection with a metal stand and dressing table of aluminum or otherlight weight metal, such tables being of lighter weight and less overall thickness than the conventional dressing tables as heretofore constructed embodying a wood frame with a fabric body stretched thereover, and being inoperative with the controlling mechanisms as previously constructed.

An additional object of the invention is to afford a construction. for pivotally supporting a thin, light weight metal table in such relation to across-legged stand as to permit the leg-frames to be folded and the metal dressing table to swing downwardly around the front leg-frame and retain the leg-frames in collapsed relation while permitting attachment of the controlling'spring and actuating means at points which are the most effective in controlling the movements of the table.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts that will appear clearly from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the novel features being pointed out in the claims following the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in end elevation of an infants folding bath stand and dressing table constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing the dressing table in horizontal operative position with its forward portion resting on the top rail of the front leg-frame, and the screen'at the rear of the dressing table appearing in upright position;

'Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the position of the parts when the table has been elevated to uprightposition to expose the tub for use;

Fig. 3 is a view in front elevation of the parts positioned as in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an "enlarged detail view in partial end elevation showing the dressing table in horizontal position'and the connections with the controlling spring and actuating means, the screen frame appearing in full lines in upright position at the rear of the table and in dotted lines in its forward position when the screen is folded and resting 'on the table;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail plan view of the portion of the structure shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged partial rear elevation of the same, and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail view similar to Fig. '4, withthe table in upright inoperative position, similar to Fig. 2.

The invention is in the nature of an improvement on the structure shown in Patent No. 2,- 085,901, July 6, 1937, and is illustrated as applied. to a metal cross-legged stand and dressing table, in which I designates the legs and 2 the top rail of the front leg-frame preferably of integral aluminum or other metal construction of U- shaped cross-section, while 3. designates the metal legs and 4 the metal top rail of the rear legframe, the top rail being preferably separate from the rear legs and connected by suitable corner blocks. The front leg-frame is arranged within the rear leg-frame endwise thereof as shown, and pivotally connected thereto to permit collapsing the stand, as usual in this type of device, such collapsing movement of the front legframe being limited by a stiffening cross-rail connecting the rear legs 3 near the bottom thereof, while the front legs I are connected by a similar cross-rail near the bottom to give additional stiffness to the leg-frames. The metal legs I and 3 and top rails 2 and 4 are also preferably constructed of sheet metal that is of U-shaped cross-section, and 6 designates a flexible tub of rubberized fabric or other suitable material, suitably secured between the top rails 2 and 4 of the stand and adapted to be collapsed therebetween when the tub is not in use and the legframes are folded, the tub also serving to hold the cross-legged stand in open position as illustrated in Fig. 1.

In the structure shown, the dressing table is also formed of sheet metal, preferably aluminum, and includes a bottom I, see Fig. 5, tenninating at its edges in a reversely curved rim 8 which is continuous around the edge of the dressing table, and the height of rim 8 or the overall thickness of the table is considerably less than that of prior structures employing a wooden frame with a canvas stretched thereover. The dressing table is movable from the horizontal operative position resting on top rail 2 as shown in Fig. 1 to the upright inoperative position shown in Fig. 2, and when the leg-frames are folded, the dressing table can be swung downwardly in front of the legs I to maintain the leg-frames in folded relation. To accomplish this, the dressing table is pivotally supported on the rear leg-frame in such manner as to permit the bottom of the table to clear and fold downwardly around the upper edge of th front legframe when the stand is collapsed.

This is accomplished by pivotally supporting the dressing table in spaced relation above the leg-frames, as illustrated in Fig. 1, through the instrumentality of hinge plates 9 secured to the side edges of the dressing table at the rear thereof by suitable fastening devices II). The hinge plates 9 include downwardly depending extensions II which are pivotally mounted at their lower ends on pins I2 secured to the rear legs 3 near the upper end thereof, and this arrangement causes the bottom of the dressing table to be spaced substantially above the tops of the legframes, as shown in Fig. 1, permitting the front legs I to be folded against the rear legs 3 under the dressing table which can then be swung downwardly in front of the legs I to hold the latter in collapsed position against the rear legs 3. When the dressing table is in horizontal operative position, the forward portion thereof is maintained above the front leg-frame by means of bumpers or stops I3 attached to the bottom of the dressing table and arranged to engage the upper edge of the front cross-rail 2.

Upward movement of the dressing table to the upright position illustrated in Figs. 2 and 7 is limited by a wire frame including arms I4 and carrying the usual screen I5, the arms I4 having their ends bent inwardly to afford terminal portions I6 which are suitably pivoted in openings formed in the rear legs 3 at points somewhat below the pins I2, permitting the screen frame to swing from its forward collapsed position with the screen lying parallel to the top of the dressing table to th upright position illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, such movement of the screen frame being limited by the pins I2 which serve as stops against which the arms I4 rest when the screen frame is in upright position. At such time, the screen I5, which is of suitable fabric and stretched over the screen frame, engages and limits upward movement of the table as shown in Fig. 2.

It is desirable to maintain the dressing table in either its horizontal or its upright position against accidental displacement and to afford simple means for readily effecting movement of the table from one .position to the other, and to accomplish this, one of the hinge plates 9 is provided with a rear portion bent upon itself to afford a spaced forwardly projecting wall I1 integrally connected with the hinge plate by a connecting portion I8, and the spaced wall I1 is provided at its front end with a hook I9 to receive one end of a spring 20, the opposite end of which is suitably connected to a fastening device 2| secured to the adjacent rear leg 3.

The spring connections, fastening device 2I and hook I9 are so related to the pivot pin I2 that when the dressing table is in the horizontal position illustrated in Fig. 1, the longitudinal axis of the spring is in line with or slightly forward of the pivot pin I2, and the spring 20 therefore acts to hold the table positively in its horizontal position against accidental displacement. When it is desired to shift the dressing table to upright position, only a slight lifting movement of its forward edge is required to move the spring 20 past the pivot I2, whereupon the tension of the spring is suflicient to elevatethe table and hold it in upright position, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 7. When the table is in horizontal operative position, the screen frame arm I4 that is adjacent to the spaced wall II lies between hinge plate 9 and the wall I1, as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 6, and thus functions to control the movements of the dressing table without interfering with the proper movements of the controlling spring 20.

The hinge plate 9 and spaced wall I1 also afford eflicient and rigid means for connecting the actuatin means used to effect lowering of the dressing table, which in the structure shown consists of an actuating rod 22 pivotally associated at its lower end with the inner end 23 of a treadle 24 pivoted at 25 to the lower end of one of the rear legs 3. The actuating rod 22 has a forwardly bent portion 26 at its upper end that is pivotally attached to a bolt 21, which extends through the hinge plate 9 and the spaced wall I1 at the rear thereof, as shown in Figs. 4 to 6, the two spaced walls which support the bolt 21 and actuating rod 22 affording a firm and rigid means for holding the upper end 26 of the actuating rod 22, while the actuating rod is connected to the dressing table at an extreme rearward point so that comparatively little effort is required when depressing the treadle 24 from the horizontal position shown in Fig. 2 to move the rear edge of the table upwardly and to depress the table to its operative position. This arrangement permits connecting the actuating rod 22 to the dressing table and to the leg-frame at points which give most effective action to the actuating rod and tend to eliminate any twistin or bending tendency of the latter.

While the invention has been described in relation to the specific embodiment shown, it is not confined to the details herein disclosed, and this application is intended to cover such modifications or departures as may come within the adorns? purposes of theimprovement and the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. The combination with a collapsible crosslegged stand consisting of front and rear legframes including top rails, of a light weight dressing table, hinge plates secured at the rear of the side edgesof the dressing table and provided at their forward portions with downwardly projecting extensions-pivotally attached to the rear le frame, one of said hinge plates being bent upon itself at the rear affording a U-shaped portion including a spaced, forwardly projecting wall terminating ina hook located-at its front end in rear of the pivotal connection with the leg frame, and a spring connected at one end to said hook and at its opposite end to a lower portion of the adjacent leg, the points of connection with the ends of said spring being approximately in line with the pivotal connection of the table when the latter is in horizontal position.

2. The combination with a collapsible crosslegged stand consisting of front and rear legframes including top rails, of a light weight dressing table, hinge plates secured at the rear of the side edges of the dressing table and provided at their forward portions with downwardly projecting extensions pivotally attached to the rear legframe, one of said hinge plates being bent upon itself at the rear, affording a U-shaped portion including a spaced, forwarding projecting wall terminating in a hook located at its front end in rear of the pivotal connection with the leg frame, a spring connected at one end to said hook and at its opposite end to a lower portion of the adjacent leg, the points of connection with the ends of said spring being approximately in line with the pivotal connection of the table when the latter is in horizontal position, and a screen frame including arms pivoted to the rear leg-frame beneath the pivotal points of the dressing table, one of said arms being movable between the walls of said U-shaped portion of the hinge plate when the screen frame is in upright position.

3. The combination with a collapsible crosslegged stand consisting of front and rear legframes including top rails, of a light weight dressing table, hinge plates secured at the rear of the side edges of the dressing table and provided at their forward portions with downwardly projecting extensions pivotally attached to the rear legframe, one of said hinge plates being bent upon itself at the rear affording a U-shaped portion including a spaced, forwardly projecting wall terminating in a hook located at its front end in rear of the pivotal connection with the leg frame, a spring connected at one end to said hook and at its opposite end to a lower portion of the adjacent leg, the points of connection with the ends of said spring being approximately in line with the pivotal connection of the table when the latter is in horizontal position, an actuating rod, a treadle pivoted to one of said legs and pivotally connected to said actuating rod, said actuating rod being connected at its upper end to the rear of said outer spaced wall of the U- shaped portion of the hinge plate.

4. The combination with a collapsible crosslegged stand consisting of front and rear legframes including top rails, of a light weight dressing table, hinge plates secured at the rear of the side edges of the dressing table and provided at their forward portions with downwardly projecting extensions pivotally attached to the rear leg-frame, one of said hinge plates being of the adjacent leathe points of connection the ends of said spring bein approximately in line with the pivotal connection .of the table when h latter i n horizontal po ition, a screen frame incl n a m pivoted to the rear le -f ame be= neath t pivotal points of the dressin table, one of said arms bein movable b tween the walls of said U-shaped portion of the hinge plate the screen frame is in upright position, an actutine rod, and a treadle pivot d to one of said legs and pivotally connected to said actuating rod, said actuating rod being pivotally connected at its upper end to the rear of said outer spaced wall of the U-shaped portion of the hinge plate.

5. The combination with a collapsible crosslegged stand consisting of front and rear legframes including top rails, of a relatively thin, light weight metal dressing table, hinge plates secured at the rear of the side edges of the dressing table and provided at their forward portions with downwardly depending extensions pivotally attached at their lower ends to the rear leg-frame near its top, spacing members secured to the under side of the dressing table and engaging the top rail of the front leg-frame, the dressing table when in horizontal operative position being spaced considerably above the top rails permitting folding the table downwardly with the front legframe folded between the table and the rear le frame, one of said hinge plates being bent upon itself at the rear affording a U-shaped portion including a spaced, forwardly projecting wall terminating in a hook located at its front end in rear of the pivotal connection with the leg frame, a spring connected at one end to said hook and at its opposite end to a lower portion of the adjacent leg, the points of connection with the ends of said spring being approximately in line with the pivotal connection of the table when the latter is in horizontal position, and a screen frame including arms pivoted to the rear legframe beneath the pivotal points of the dressing table, one of said arms being movable between the walls of said U-shaped portion of the hinge plate when the screen frame is in upright position.

6. The combination with a collapsible crosslegged stand consisting of front and rear legframes including top rails, of a relatively thin, light weight metal dressing table, hinge plates secured at the rear of the side edges of the dressing table and provided at their forward portions with downwardly depending extensions pivotally attached at their lower ends to the rear leg-frame near its top, spacing members secured to the under side of the dressing table and engaging the top rail of the front leg-frame, the dressing table when in horizontal operative position being spaced considerably above the top rails permitting folding the table downwardly with the front leg-frame folded between the table and the rear leg-frame, one of said hinge plates being bent upon itself at the rear affording a U-shaped portion including a spaced, forwardly projecting wall terminating in a hook located at its front end in rear of the pivotal connection with the leg frame, a spring connected at one end to said hook and at its opposite end to a lower portion of the adjacent leg, the points of connection with the ends of said spring being approximatelyin line with the pivotal connection of the table when the latter is in horizontal position, a screen frame including arms pivoted to the rear leg-frame beneath the pivotal points of the dressing table, one of said arms being movable between the walls of said U-shaped portion of the hinge plate when the screen frame is in upright position, an actuating rod, a treadle pivoted to one of said legs and pivotally connected to said actuating rod, said actuating rod being connected at its upper end to the rear of said outer spaced, forwardly projecting wall of the U-shaped portion of the hinge plate.

CHARLES T. DE PUY.

WILLIAM C. BAX'I'ER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,288,347 Wilson Dec. 1'7, 1918 ,412,314 Pandoflo Apr. 11, 1922 1,442,391 Filipache June 16, 1923 2,217,658 DePuy Oct. 15, 1940 2,253,995 Baxter et al Aug. 25, 1941 2,254,004 DePuy Aug. 26, 1941 2,296,592 Baxter et a1 Sept. 22, 1942 

